02 dakota 4.7 towing

[dough41]

Hi;<br />I have an 02 Dakota Quad Cab with a 4.7 V-8 for towing my 19' Monterey ( probably 2300 loaded?). My question is, I was wondering if I should be towing the boat w/ overdrive off? This is my first truck and it drives great at any speed, but twice its overheated at the launch and I have the tow pkg etc and can't replicate the condition for my dodge dealer in the shop. I thought I saw somewhere that you should not have the overdrive engaged, as that will cause excess tranny heat which could cause the condition I've experienced?<br />Any thoughts/help will be greatly appreciated.<br />Joe- dough041@yahoo.com

 

[vranasaurus]

Re: 02 dakota 4.7 towing

You might try installing a tranny cooler.<br /><br />And did the tranny overheat or the engine overheat?<br /><br />Overheating at the launch doesn't seem like it would be caused by overdrive.<br /><br />I tow a 22' Xpress Jon boat about the same weight fully loaded with my silverado in overdrive all the time with no pproblem. You just have to watch for hills and make sure the tranny doesn't shift multiple times in a short period i.e. into and out of overdrive.

 

[JB]

Re: 02 dakota 4.7 towing

What does your Owner's Manual say, Dough?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 02 dakota 4.7 towing

If you towed to the launch in overdrive, the tranny fluid may be very hot from the constant up and down shifting as well as torque converter locking and unlocking. Since the tranny fluid circulates through a cooler built into the radiator, that extra heat heats the engine coolant and presto -- engine overheat. This problem is made worse by a poor choice rear axle ratio and not all tow packages do this very effectively. With a 19 foot boat I suspect you are towing much more than 2300#. Closer to 4000# considering trailer, gas, gear, engine and cooler full of beverages. On flat roads, if the tranny does not repeatedly shift from OD to Direct, or if the torque converter stays locked, its OK to tow in OD. If you don't understand how to determine this, don't tow in OD, especially in hilly terrain.

 

[gonefishie]

Re: 02 dakota 4.7 towing

I never keep my in overdrive, that way I don't have to worry about paying full attention to the terrain. Even a small incline would causes shifting, at least in my truck. What is the best gear ratio upinsmoke? I'm looking for a new truck and gear ratio would be an important factor.

 

[ontuy]

Re: 02 dakota 4.7 towing

I have had two similar vehicles (2001 Dakota Quad cab with 3.9L V6 and 2001 Durango with 4.3L V8). My brother also works for the Chrysler transmission plant in Kokomo IN. NEVER tow with the vehicle in overdrive! Your owners manual also says to tow with overdrive off. There is a button on the end of the shifter to turn off the overdrive. I have an 88 Seasprite 18ft bowrider. About 3700lbs loaded down. My RPMs with the overdrive off stay at less than 3000. Gas mileage suffers slightly but these things are so bad on gas that you probably won't notice anyway. Make sure that you have the transmission serviced at regular intervals. These vehicles are notorious for having to have the transmissions rebuilt. My Dakota had to have a rebuild at 75K and I wasn't even towing with that one. Have fun and stay safe!

 

[WardenJ]

Re: 02 dakota 4.7 towing

My 99 Dakota is about to hit 100,000 miles on the original transmission build and no problems, even after towing an 18.5 foot bowrider and a 17 foot center console all over the place with OD on. The important thing is just to pay attention to what it's doing and take care of it. If it is shifting too much into and out of overdrive, don't use it, otherwise you should be ok. Towing is hard on any automatic transmission, so it' important to keep an eye on the fluid level and make sure you stay on top of changing the fluid and filter at the proper interval: every 60,000 according to the service manual. You might also look into an auxilary transmission cooler to keep the temp down.